1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for keeping the Jewish Sabbath and Holidays and, more particularly, to a switch cover for selectively disabling the internal lighting system of conventional kitchen appliances.
2. Description of the Background
“And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:2–3). As interpreted and implemented under Jewish law, the purpose of the Jewish Sabbath and Holidays is to rest from physical labor and to worship God. The Jewish Talmud categorically specifies categories of work prohibited on the Jewish Sabbath and Holidays. For example, according to Jewish law one may not open or close an electrical circuit on the Jewish Sabbath and Holidays. Thus, Jews observing the Jewish Sabbath and Holidays may not turn on or off any electrical appliances.
Unfortunately, technology often makes it difficult to comply. For example, many kitchen ovens now have a safety shut-off feature that automatically shuts off the appliance after a period of use. This is sensible and safe, but it is problematic for Jews who require the oven to remain on over the Jewish Sabbath and Holidays. The religious stricture not to work for 24 hours on the Jewish Sabbath, and longer on some Holidays, led a few manufacturers to correct the situation with ovens that incorporate a “Sabbath-mode.” The Sabbath-mode keeps an oven on at a specified temperature for as long as it is required, essentially overriding the auto-shut-off. This innovation first appeared in KitchenAid ovens back in 1994, overriding the normal 12-hour safety shut-off. On these KitchenAid ovens the observant cook can press keypad number six for five seconds offering a choice of baking at 170 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for an unlimited time. The Weekly Home Furnishings Newspaper, Dec. 19, 1994.
However, in practice, this is not a foolproof solution, because the Sabbath-mode for ovens is mostly geared for Holidays that last more than one day, i.e. Passover, when it becomes necessary to cook or heat food after the initial 12 hour period. Since Sabbath food must already be cooked before Sundown, most people prefer to use the standard oven timer to keep the food warm for a few hours on Friday night rather than engage the Sabbath-mode which would leave the oven on unnecessarily for 24 hours, wasting electric or gas. Nonetheless, even when the issue is resolved for oven heating, the issue of the oven light still remains. When the oven door is opened the light turns on, and there is no existing way to disable this.
Indeed, the same issue arises and poses a practical problem when opening the door of any refrigerator, freezer, or oven. Nearly all such major kitchen appliances have an internal lighting system controlled by a mechanical switch located on the inside panel. This spring-loaded switch activates when the door opens, thereby causing the switch to open the electrical circuit connected to the light. When the door closes, it forces the switch to close the electrical contact, causing the light to turn off. Traditionally, this problem has been addressed either by taping down the switch each week before the Jewish Sabbath and Holidays, or by unscrewing the appliance's light bulb. Neither of these solutions is convenient.
Accordingly, there is a significant demand for a retrofit-type device that selectively enables/disables the internal lighting system switch located on the inside panel of most refrigerators, freezers and ovens, to make it easier for Orthodox Jews to keep the Jewish Sabbath and Holidays.